Congressional Redistricting: Invest Now or Pay Later

Some of you might have noticed that my posting has been a bit sparse on HA this past week, and no, it’s not due to the handful of posts I’ve funneled over to Slog. No, my time has mostly been consumed by a short term contract I took because I really believe in the project, and, well, I just plain needed the money. Which is kinda a longish way of getting the obligatory disclaimer out of the way at the top of the post.

The project I’m working on is Progressive Kick’s $125,000 Win Big by Thinking Small matching contribution program, in which, through Oct. 10, we will match dollar-for-dollar all contributions made through our ActBlue page to select legislative candidates in six states: NC, MI, OH, OR, PA and WI. That’s a $125,000 to raise an additional $125,000… a quarter of a million dollars total to spend in local races.

From the candidates’ perspective, this is a great opportunity to incentivize supporters to give (or give again) by doubling their money. Kind of a no brainer. And some candidates have made good use of this opportunity, like Nick Kahl in Oregon’s HD-49 race, who has already raised $4,684 (plus another $4,684 in matching contributions) in a little over a week. But from the national perspective, there’s a lot more at stake.

The criteria for being included in the Win Big by Thinking Smallprogram were simple: you must be a truly progressive candidate in a close but winnable race, in a state where congressional redistricting is at stake… and it’s that latter prerequisite that, despite my pleading, excluded Washington legislative candidates from consideration. For even if control of the state House and/or Senate were to change hands, our nonpartisan redistricting system makes the process almost entirely immune to partisan gerrymandering. Yet another thing Washington does better than most other states.

But that’s not the case most everyplace else. And that’s why a relatively small investment in electing progressive legislators now, could produce exponential returns over the coming decade:

“The average winner of a competitive House race in 2008 spent $2 million, while a noncompetitive seat can be defended for far less than half that amount. Moving, say, 20 districts from competitive to out-of-reach could save a party $100 million or more over the course of a decade.”— GOP strategist, Karl Rove

Of course, electing true progressives at the local level is also the key to building a progressive bench — these are the ranks from which future Democratic stars will rise — so this alone makes Progressive Kick’s matching contribution program worthy of your support. But with redistricting upon us, and our nation as divided as ever along partisan lines, nothing less than control of the U.S. House of Representatives is at stake.

Republicans love the idea of a small minority of elitist people running the country for their own financial benefit at the expense of the vast majority of us. While they brainwash workers into believing the myth of working hard for success, they practice the art of manipulating the system for their own success, and it works very well for them. Keep your eye on redistricting because it’s how the minority gets the power to run the lives of the majority for their own aggrandizement.

Since there can never ever be a “rational free market,” the mindless ones who consistently bring it up are only demonstrating their arrogant idiocy. Corporate welfare is the single largest financed sum of government spending, and not one penny will every be cut from it. Every aspect of our lives is formulated by lobbyists constructing market controls to disproportionately redistribute wealth from the bottom 98% to the top 2%. The rich already control nearly 90% of the asset wealth, and 50% of the yearly income; these numbers will only get stronger. I really think the GOP loving trolls prefer we go back to the late 1800s, when there were no programs that kept the masses quiet; only this time they would kill more of us more quickly.

C’mon, Goldy — “even if control of the state House and/or Senate were to change hands, our nonpartisan redistricting system makes the process almost entirely immune to partisan gerrymandering.”

First, our redistricting is not nonpartisan, it’s bipartisan — huge, huge difference! The 4 voting members of the redistricting commission are selected by the 4 caucuses of the Legislature. Independent and 3rd-party members (if there ever are any…) do not participate.

The system doesn’t yield the wildly improbable shapes that show up in some states, but don’t think for a second that the two parties are not scheming for even the smallest opportunity to tilt the table in their favor.

A little bit of too little, too late Goldy. I think the magnitude of Americans dislike for your brand of Progressivism is just sinking in.

Friday, October 01, 2010

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 28% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-six percent (46%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18

And just to make sure you understand what is happening Goldy–Friday, October 01, 2010

For the second month in a row, the number of Americans who identify themselves as Democrats has fallen to a record low.

In September, 34.6% of American Adults identified themselves as Democrats. That’s down nearly half a percentage point from a month ago, a full percentage point from two months ago, and is the smallest percentage of Democrats ever recorded in nearly eight years of monthly tracking.

Here I am, hoping the Dems retain control of the House & Senate by 1 each so ImamObaMao gets his ass kicked too in 2012…and you KLOWNS are doing your best to make certain the R’s get control of both. Damn you Goldy and your Northwest Division of Lunatic Moonbats!!

Your secret plan to lose the House & Senate so ImamObaMao gets re-elected may be working. DAMN ALL YOU KLOWNS!!

If we really wanted to make a change this November, we should simply vote-out any incumbent and replace him or her with any party’s candidate that is not Democrat or Republican. Those two parties have hogged the trough long enough.

We should also have term limits for these bastards. (Yes, I know, that requires a constitutional amendment.)

Cynny @ 11: “Here I am, hoping the Dems retain control of the House & Senate by 1 each so ImamObaMao gets his ass kicked too in 2012”

Could we have more convincing proof that Cynny wants the nation to go further down the toilet in the next 2 years for purely partisan purposes? What an unpatriotic piece of shit. More suffering, more unemployment, more homelessness–that’s what Cynny wants just to assist some wingnut R in 2012 in reaching the White House.

From Robert P. Marcus, “I was a Teenage Liberal,” Liberty Magazine, November 2010, page 44:

“Modern liberalism…the heartfelt desire to impose one’s values and choices on the powerless for their own good (cf. conservatism, which also sanctions coercion, but heartlessly); in politics…the belief that all human problems can be solved by wise government and tax dollars; in philosophy…the Platonic ideal of a government of the best and brightest, without a clue about how to achieve it; in economics…the belief that free markets are suspect and that capitalism is inherently immoral (cf. Marxism-lite); in psychology…the self-congratulatory delusion tha one holds a monopoly on compassion and intelligence; in race relations…a modern belief in “white man’s burden”; in law…a belief that the Constitution is a mere collection of words, given meaning only by current political appointees, based on their social-political prejudices and without references to original meaning or intent (cf. Newspeak); in morality…a belief that good intentions are more important than consequences; in government…a belief that any government program is workable, given good intent and more funding; in theology…the New Age belief that we can heal the world though wallowing in guilt; in public policy…a curious belief that consenting adults should be free of government interference in the bedroom but not in the workplace.”

16 That’s a definition from someone with a chip on his shoulder. Not even close to being helpful. The best distinction between liberals and conservatives I ever came across was from the great legal philosopher, Ronald Dworkin. He said that liberals believe that the law should treat people as equals, while conservatives simply believe that people should be treated equally under the law, regardless of inequities in the law.

Well said @9. It will be important to pay attention to the redistricting process. There are going to be hearings in our state. Let’s make our voices heard about making more districts competitive if possible.

Go to hearings armed with knowledge. Draw your own map and compare it to the official proposals. Local fellow David Bradlee has this cool free app. He’s set it up nice and the big piece that’s needed to is the 2010 Census data. Until that is published try it out and redistrict the state with 2001 data. It’s good practice. He’s got a version for Maryland where you can also plug in partisan data.

It just gets worse & worse. ImamObaMao is pretending to rally the college students with tiny turnouts. Nothing like 2 years ago. And Poll after Poll is worse- Like this

Friday, October 01, 2010 Republican Susana Martinez now has a 10-point lead over Democratic Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, moving the New Mexico governor’s race from a Toss-Up to Leans GOP in the Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 Gubernatorial Scorecard.

The latest telephone survey of Likely Voters in New Mexico shows Martinez, a county prosecutor, receiving 51% support, while Denish picks up 41% of the vote when leaners are included.

Do you REALLY think Palin/Hannity/O’Donnel/Angle/Beck/O’Donnel/Palladino etc are anywhere near the American middle????

If this is really true, may I suggest you start rehearsing to sing a chorus of the Chinese National Anthem …

Three Principles of the People, The foundation of our party. Using this, we establish the Republic; Using this, we advance into a state of total peace. Oh, you, warriors, For the people, be the vanguard. Without resting day or night, Follow the Principles. Swear to be diligent; swear to be courageous. Obliged to be trustworthy; obliged to be loyal. With one heart and one virtue, We carry through until the very end.

Three Principles of the Fathers, Property,Self-reliance, and God, The triune foundations of our Freedom. Using this, we establish the Republic; Using this, we advance into a state of total peace. Oh, you, patriots, For Jesus, be the vanguard. Without resting day or night, Follow the Principles. Swear to be diligent; swear to be courageous. Obliged to be trustworthy; obliged to be loyal. With one heart and one God, We carry through until the very end.

elect progressives so that they can play a coruipt redistricting game better than conservatives?

It is more progressive to work for putting all states into a less partisan method like ours. In fact, given that today computers can do all this stuff very easily, with the data and mapmaking programs we have now, in each state the redistricting commissions should put their data on line and invite the public to submit the most fair and sensible maps. Then we could have an aggregate site pointing to the best maps, the commission likely could put 3 at the top of the list, leading to a more fair decision. This aggregate site could also be nationwide and show us the most ridiculously gerrymandered districts in any state, and throw a spotlight on abuses.

I think in the long run “progressive” means being for fairness and transparency in districting.

BTW our districts are fairly good but you have to wonder how the 1st CD got into Bainbridge ….; it’s fairly unnatural to link Bainbridge and Kirkland.

But what I didn’t expect is for Italians to live by my standards. I expected that as a visitor and newcomer I’d have to earn acceptance at the local markets and cafes and in the village I lived in. I assumed I’d have to make friends, not have people walk up and offer friendship. I didn’t have to work while there, but if I had I’d have expected language and cultural barriers to be something I would have to overcome, not the Italians to help me go to work.

This woman is a classic liberal. No acceptance of personal duties, and blames those around her for all her problems.

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